Suffice it to say, the geological event known as Hurricane Helene altered much of the landscape of Western North Carolina and East Tennessee. There’s good news for outdoor adventurers, though – the entire region isn’t a complete wasteland.

The mighty Black Mountains and their many creeks are a poignant example. On the eastern slopes of the highest mountains this side of the Mississippi River, many creeks because of the unprecedented water flow induced huge landslides descending thousands of feet. The landslides laid waste to virtually everything along their paths and permanently altered many watercourses. Well, “permanently” until the next such disaster befalls the region which is predicted sometime in the next 500 years.

Curiously, creeks in adjacent Black Mountain watersheds suffered significantly different damages. When Badger hikes to favorite areas now, he knows not what he will encounter.

White Oak Falls on its namesake creek thankfully endured the catastrophe well. There was a bit of debris piled behind the upper falls but nowhere near the destruction wrought on Ayles Creek which flows from the flank of 6320’ Celo Knob in a neighboring holler.

The answer to why the storm produced such anomalies is above my pay grade. Nevertheless, it’s an immense relief to again see a favorite waterfall that’s relatively unharmed.

White Oak Falls was spared and provides a great winter scene – if one is willing to cross the creek in 10-degree F. temperatures to capture it in a photo. You might have guessed that Badger was willing and the result was incredibly satisfying.

One should never give up, because nature’s beauty can bring great joy even when you don’t know what you’ll see.

Thomas Mabry – Honey Badger Images

Many of the HoneyBadgerImages are on display at instagram.com/honeybadgerimages.